Photo by Gwyneth J. Saunders/The Sun Today A tray of Palm Key Catering cole slaw will add to the contents of a pulled pork or pulled chicken appetizer as part of a Bon Appetit Club demonstration by guest speaker Brentt Toole.

Photo by Gwyneth J. Saunders/The Sun Today It tastes as good as it looks: A crunchy baked wonton holds a pinch of pulled pork, dabs of barbecue and mustard sauces, a pinch of coleslaw and a slice of dill pickle.

The holidays may be past, but there is always an excuse to entertain guests and there's nothing like getting a quick tip from a professional chef.

Members of the Sun City Bon Appetit Cooking Club had the opportunity to expand their repertoire with a quick, easy and very tasty appetizer from Chef Brentt Toole of Palm Key Catering in Ridgeland.

As Toole held forth on preparations for home-brined chicken in the Pinckney Hall auditorium, a handful of members assembled his offering in the kitchen for sampling at the end of the meeting.

Brenda Post, Nadine Martin and Sandra Fowler placed a generous pinch of tender smoked chicken or pulled pork, dabs of barbecue and mustard sauces and a pinch of coleslaw topped with a slice of dill pickle into baked wonton cups.

The contents of the cups were appreciated by samplers but it was the ingenuity of using baked wontons that got thumbs up from many.

"I really like the idea of the wonton and it's a nice quick appetizer, not greasy and quite easy," said Anita Hill who joined the club shortly after she moved to Sun City six months ago. "I wish I'd known to do that before the holidays."

Annette and George Lane, also newcomers and new members, jumped into the club right away. Annette, who says George is "a wonderful chef," thought the appetizers were delicious.

Both Lane and the Hills are indicative of many members who belong to Bon Appetit.

"It's a real combination," said club president Ellen Altman. "Some people love to cook and are really interested in preparing the food, and others just have an interest in food. For some, it's the things we do, like going out to restaurants they might not otherwise try and watching cooking demos."

The restaurant and cooking demonstration this month will be at Chin Dynasty on Buckwalter Parkway. Another special event held three times a year is an ethnic dinner. The first dinner, also schedule for January, revolves around Swiss cooking.

Club activities are not limited to the monthly meetings or special events. Members may join one of three special interest groups or SIGs or — if approved by the club — create another one. They are very popular and fill fast. The Exploring Ethnic Cooking, Wine and Food Pairing and Baking SIGs are full but there was enough interest to form a second Baking SIG and there may still be room for members.

Altman, who is deeply involved with the Sun City Community Theatre, joined Bon Appetit because it, too, was among her interests. She is a member of the Baking SIG.

"I joined because I was rebuilding the life I had up North and I used to cater," she said. "I was a personal chef and this was my way of keeping up with the cooking."

There are about 350 members, Altman said, and with so many interests, there are many ideas for programs.

"If there's something specific they're interested in we might cover that," she said. "And it's very social around food, which a lot of people enjoy."

COOK UP A STORM

To join Bon Appetit Cooking Club, contact membership chair Teresa Wargel at 705-5132. The club meets at 1 p.m. every second Tuesday in Pinckney Hall.